TENSIONS that had been brewing for some time between Pakistan and Afghanistan exploded into open conflict when the Afghan Taliban regime launched attacks against this country late on Saturday, and Pakistan responded by repulsing the aggression.

The number of attacks carried out by TTP terrorists inside Pakistan had been growing in frequency and lethality, with a high number of security men martyred over the last few weeks.

On Thursday, there had been reports of attacks inside Afghanistan, including the apparent targeting of the TTP chief in Kabul. The Afghan regime issued a vague statement about the attack, making no mention of casualties, while Pakistan neither confirmed nor denied the operation, with both civil and military officials only saying Afghanistan needed to stop harbouring TTP terrorists.

It is in the backdrop of these events that the Kabul regime launched attacks against Pakistan. The military says that 200 “Taliban and affiliated terrorists” had been killed, while 23 troops had been martyred.

The hostilities have ceased for the time being. As per the Afghan Taliban foreign minister, the Kabul regime paused the fighting after “our friends, Qatar and Saudi Arabia” expressed the need to de-escalate. Iran, which shares a border with both states, also offered its good offices to the “two neighbouring and Muslim countries” to bring down tensions.

Pakistan, after showing it is capable of defending itself and repelling aggression, should prevent the matter from spiralling further. Though there have been low-level skirmishes in the past, this is the biggest flare-up in recent years.

Pakistan must also be wary of the fact that India and the Afghan Taliban — once sworn enemies — have suddenly experienced a warming of ties, with the Afghan foreign minister receiving a cordial reception in New Delhi recently. Therefore, it would not be in this country’s interest to let ties with Kabul — however fraught — deteriorate further.

At the heart of the matter is Pakistan’s legitimate grievance that Afghanistan hosts bloodthirsty terrorists inimical to this country. In fact, it is accepted by the international community that Kabul provides safe haven to not only the TTP, but other terrorist groups as well, such as Al Qaeda, ETIM, etc.

If these groups keep launching attacks inside this country, Pakistan must react. But while kinetic cross-border action has to be taken when faced with foreign aggression, this is not a long-term solution, as it risks sparking a full-fledged war with the Kabul regime. Pakistan has shown that it can very much defend itself on the battlefield. Now the focus must shift to addressing the issue of terrorism through diplomacy. This can be done by working with Muslim states that have helped de-escalate matters, as well as engaging regional allies such as China, which have influence with Kabul.

Published in Dawn, October 13th, 2025